President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will obtain diesel fuel from Russia, after what he described as a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The move comes as the administration looks for ways to ease fuel costs that have climbed amid ongoing tension in the Middle East, with national average gas prices recently near 4.36 dollars a gallon, according to AAA.
The diesel arrangement represents a shift in the posture the United States has taken toward Russian energy exports in recent years, during which Washington encouraged allies to reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas. Trump framed the new arrangement as a practical step to bring down fuel costs before next month's midterm elections, which fall a little over three weeks away.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced concern about the agreement, arguing that it could ease financial pressure on Moscow at a sensitive moment in the broader Russia Ukraine war. The announcement came on the same week that Russian strikes hit multiple Ukrainian cities, and as diplomatic attention also remained focused on the Middle East, where Trump separately said this week that the United States would not move against Iran before the midterms.
The diesel announcement adds a new, closely watched variable to global energy markets already dealing with elevated oil prices this year. Energy traders are watching for details on volume, pricing and logistics of any new diesel flow, none of which the White House has yet specified publicly.
Watch for details on shipment volumes and pricing, and for any response from European allies who have also been managing their own energy relationships with Russia.
Why is the US getting diesel from Russia?
President Trump said the arrangement, agreed in a call with President Putin, is intended to help ease rising fuel costs ahead of the midterm elections.
How has Ukraine responded?
President Zelensky voiced concern that the deal could ease financial pressure on Russia during the ongoing war.